Gravity Falls Season 2 Review

Gravity Falls (2012-2016)
Season 2 - 20 episodes (2014-2016)

Buy Gravity Falls on Amazon
Created by: Alex Hirsch
Starring: Jason Ritter, Alex Hirsch, Kristen Schaal, Linda Cardellini, John DiMaggio
Rated: TV-Y7

Plot
Fraternal twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines spend the summer with their Great Uncle Stan who runs a tourist trap called The Mystery Shack, in Gravity Falls, Oregon. The twins soon discover the mysterious town is home to many secrets.

Verdict
This show is so awesome. From the animation to the characters it's inventive and charming, something that adults and younger children can enjoy. It can be silly and clever, always coming back to the bond of siblings Dipper and Mabel.
While season one skewed a bit too much to burgeoning teen drama, this season evolves the mythology rapidly. All questions are answered, though I wish we had a few more self contained adventures, or even a couple more seasons.
Knowing this was the final season is disappointing and it feels like they were trying to finish the mythology and answer all the questions before the end. It's a fun adventure from a great show and great season. The three part finale is fantastic, rivaling many live action shows.
Watch it.

Review
Gravity Falls is a great series. Check out my review of season 1. The animation looks great and adds to the charm. This is a series I want to go back and watch again because I know there are bits I missed. It's well crafted, boasting incredible depth. Dipper and Mabel's love for each other is  a constant throughout the series, a backbone to the adventures. Despite their adventures or pre-teen crushes, that doesn't get in the way of caring for each other. A running arc for Dipper is his crush on co-worker Wendy. He often tries to seem older since she's a teen and he's not.
While Dipper is the worrier, Mabel is the fly by the seat of the pants type. In every episode she sports a new and eccentric sweater. I love the humor in the show, from Stan's ruses to time agents Lolph and Dundgren.

Mabel and Dipper

The strange happenings of Gravity Falls.

While I wished season one was more mythology, I wish this season had slowed down a bit. Every other episode seemed to have a big revelation. This easily could have had a third season, including a few one off adventures in this season that weren't strictly mythology oriented. I would have welcomed another season.

Grunkle Stan

Wendy, Dipper, Sous, Mabel

At the end of the season one we finally saw all of the journals. In this season we see the power they hold. They include instructions to build a portal. We also see the author's bunker and realize McGucket had a much larger role than we ever would have imagined. While he can't remember who the author is, I was stunned to learn McGucket's back story. Most of that is revealed in episode seven when Dipper and Mabel discover a secret society to help keep Gravity Fall's secrets secret.

Episode 11 blows everything up, finally revealing the author.  We learn the origins of the journals and get a few facts about Stan. He had some big secrets. Amidst the revelations Sous has a great throwaway line, "Tell me what happened. I hope this doesn't ruin my fan fiction." This series by nature generates a lot of speculation and I have to imagine there were a lot of theories. It's nice the creators acknowledge that.

The parting shot of Gravity Falls.

The three part finale is spectacular with big set pieces and heartfelt moments. Cipher Bill plays a large role, and the finale rivals many live action shows. This is one of those shows that after the final episode I'm disappointed because I won't see any new episodes. There is so much in this season I can't reveal without spoiling too much of the mysteries, and it's completely worth watching. Thankfully this show doesn't leave us hanging on any fronts. We get answers on everything by the time Dipper and Mabel's summer comes to an end.

Gravity Falls Season 1 Review

Gravity Falls (2012-2016)
Season 1 - 20 episodes (2012-2013)

Buy Gravity Falls on Amazon
Created by: Alex Hirsch
Starring: Jason Ritter, Alex Hirsch, Kristen Schaal, Linda Cardellini, John DiMaggio
Rated: TV-Y7

Plot
Fraternal twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines spend their summer with their Great Uncle Stan who runs a tourist trap called The Mystery Shack in Gravity Falls, Oregon. The twins soon discover the mysterious town is home to many secrets.

Verdict
It's a fun for the whole family type show, though the target is definitely pre-teens. While it doesn't attempt double duty by appealing to adults simultaneously as much as it could, it's still a wonderful show.
It's fun to watch with children, or for an adult wanting an easy watch. It subtly builds mystery and mythology that culminates in the final episode. While many episodes focus on Dipper and Mabel's crushes, it's an insanely charming show. The sibling bond between Dipper and Mabel is always apparent as they frequently sacrifice for each other. The theme song is just amazing, and the animation has an impressive attention to detail.
Watch it.

Review
I've had a lot of fun watching it with my child, though I wish it did more to include adults like Phineas and Ferb (2007-15). Phineas and Ferb is incredibly ingenious, entertaining adults and children simultaneously. The creativity of how it intertwines the A and B plots was always a delight. Admittedly, I'm a huge fan of Phineas and Ferb.
The theme song is incredibly catchy, it's one of the best.

Gravity Falls doesn't quite get there as far as creativity, but I'd rank it right behind them which is esteemed territory. It's a great show with unrivaled animation, that builds a great mythology.
It's a bit Eerie, Indiana (1991-92) with siblings encountering many strange creatures and events in their small town. The mysteries start in the first episode when Dipper finds a mysterious journal in the woods marked as #3.

Many of the plots combine something supernatural with Dipper pining over his crush the teenage Wendy or Mabel interested in a new boy. It doesn't cross the pre-teen line, but these just aren't story lines I care about as much as the mystery and the origins of the journal Dipper found that guides each episode. This journal details many strange creatures found in the town, with many episodes exploring sci-fi and fantasy. The bits of mythology are sparse until we get to the finale.

The show often focuses on growing up, with Mabel trying to be more serious and less childish and Dipper trying to be seem older or more manly in episodes 5 and 11. Adults don't always have the answers and aren't always right. Stan is the prime example of that. The twins are the moral center of the show with Grunkle Stan willing to fleece anyone for just a few dollars, but at the same time in episode 13 Mabel realizes being in charge isn't as easy as it seems.

Great characters all around, even if the teens Wendy and Robbie fall a little flat which could very well be the joke. While I wish the first season did more to build the mystery, instead of frequently focusing on the budding teens, the finale is great. It broadens the mystery and mythology the show has been subtly building, as we finally discover who holds journal #1. We're no closer to knowing who wrote the journals, but this is a far reaching conspiracy and sets up the second season perfectly.